PDX Enroute Stop - Coffee People Choice

Second Third Place

Starbucks is my favorite Third Place of choice - if I am to use one - but the Coffee People at the entrance to Concourse E at PDX is the most available watering hole when flying on United Airlines (my preferred carrier for frequent flying miles membership). My regular choice: Cafe Mocha Decaf with whipped cream (that sounds like a line out of You've Got Mail (1) - staged in New York City, but where Starbucks has penetrated the metropolitan giant with small pieces of the Pacific Northwest coffee culture that  sustains residents there through the ten continuous months of cloudy weather and rain).

Customized cafe mocha decaf

For health regulations, the concoction has to be handed over to the customer in a paper cup with the generic, non-biodegradable cap in place, upon which receiving I put on the generic brown paper sleeve to serve as a heat insulator, step over to the service bar where the nutmeg, cinnamon, and chocolate shakers are available for customers like me to custom adulterate the hot drink by sprinkling the spices on top of the crushed whipped cream, to then carefully reattach the non-biodegradable cap, and then gather up my carry-on bags and waddle my way to my gate carrying everything and thinking about that first sip of my coffee drink.
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(1) Line from You've Got Mail when Joe Fox says: "The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don’t know what the hell they’re doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino." A book is specifically written about Starbucks culture in America that draws commentary by newspaper columnists, not unlike what the Frank Navsky character would write in the movie.

Two Stars in the Window

Family Service Flag

It will be eight years this coming July when we had two Blue Stars in our home's front window in Annapolis - a bridge between the continuum of a single blue star for nearly eleven years - we are a military family. Michael, out for more than seven years now, was in his last year of duty at Arlington National Cemetery - Tim was just beginning his military duty at the U.S. Naval Academy, and now has been a Naval Aviator for more than a year. The times then and now stand out when we get to see them together, are special, even when only by text message or in photographs.

Service brothers - Portland 2014

This weekend, Tim's squadron flew a cross-country exercise to Portland - I can imagine what it looked like to him as he approached PDX, but on his own. That provided the opportunity for our daughter, her family, and Mike to drive up and see him. Mike joining the Army had a great influence on Tim - was a significant contributor to his choosing to go to the Naval Academy and be a naval officer. Both have a bond, two of a special band of brothers - a continuation in the line of other family service members. These two continue to have a great influence on us and the rest of the family - pride.
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As a side note: Tim gave our grandson Jace a Navy flight suit for his fourth birthday - size appropriate. Normally, this should not be have been all that notable, other than Jace was anxious when he drove with his folks and Tim to the Portland airport to see the E-2 Hawkeye - he thought if he wore the suit, he would have to fly the plane. Nice photograph by Dan Kuttel - lots of other aviation shots for viewing on his Flickr site.

PDX - Bird Encouraging Activities Unwelcomed

After getting back from downtown Portland and walking from the light rail MAX station at the airport, this sign stood out - DON'T FEED THE BIRDS AT PDX. How unwelcoming. With all of the efforts to help wildlife recover in the Pacific Northwest, this is probably the first time I have seen any indication of a wildlife unwelcoming activity being encouraged.

I am going birding this morning, my first official attempt in the Willamette Valley. Instead of the coincidental viewing I typically do while in a hurry getting from one place to another - like along the freeway on my way to the airport, I will do deliberate birding at the

Jackson Frazier Wetland near Corvallis. The local newspaper had a recent article about birding at the Little Willamette Conservation Easement. The Willamette Valley is full of an interesting mix of land uses. A lot of people are doing a lot of work to find compatible ways to use the different resources the valley has to offer. When I worked in Corvallis, the efforts a group of us started have continued to progress - so with time, there may be a lot of practical ways to absorb the need for using the natural resources, while still preserving their quality.